J.D. Robb - Eve Dallas 13 - Betrayal In Death-viny

[center]



J. D. Robb, the pseudonymous mask for No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts, adds yet another twist to her highly popular futuristic series featuring the crime-fighting, lovemaking duo of police lieutenant Eve Dallas and her sexy, crime-savvy husband, Roarke.

It's spring in the year 2059 when Eve Dallas arrives at the scene of a horrific murder. A young maid working in the upscale Roarke Palace Hotel has been brutally beaten, raped, and garroted. It doesn't take long for Eve and her colleagues to identify the killer, who rented the room in his own name and made no attempt to cover his tracks: He's Sylvester Yost, a professional hit man with a resume that covers nearly 50 years and dozens of murders. But finding Yost is another matter. That task becomes even more urgent when a second murder victim is found bearing Yost's trademark handiwork. This time it's a man who works for a publishing company that, like the hotel, is owned by Roarke.

When comparing the two murders, the only common denominator Eve can find, other than the killer, is Roarke. Fearing he is the killer's ultimate target, she steps up her investigation, which brings a couple of proprietary FBI agents down on her case. As usual, Roarke manages to provide some assistance to Eve, even while he's managing his empire and trying to coordinate a billion-dollar auction at his hotel. Also as usual, this collaboration ignites plenty of sparks between the two of them, some of them romantic, others not. Adding fuel to the fire is Roarke's unexpected house guest, a master thief and con artist who knows Roarke from the days when they were young lads running a few savvy cons of their own. Eve is far from pleased at this reminder of Roarke's colorful past, but she has little time to worry about it as she races against the clock and the persistently interfering feds, hoping to stop Yost before he kills again.

The witty repartee between Robb's characters is as entertaining and attention-grabbing as are her many plot twists. Plus, Eve's gutsy, no-holds-barred attitude makes for a refreshing change of pace. The pace is snappy, the story line sizzles, and while the crime descriptions tend to be rather dark and gritty, there's plenty of comic relief to balance things out. Death should always be this enjoyable. (Beth Amos)

Beth Amos is the author of several novels, including Second Sight, Eyes of Night, and Cold White Fury.




[center]